Azerbaijani Ritual Shadda Carpets as Guarder of the People’s Oral Heritage By Roya Taghiyeva Doctor of Arts Director of Azerbaijani Carpet State Museum Baku, Azerbaijan [email protected] Paper presented for the conference "Can Oral History Make Objects Speak?", Nafplion, Greece. October 18-21, 2005. ____________________________________________________________________ During a history of any people, there has developed the field of art in which its rich spiritual world is reflected. Such art embodies typical features of a nation’s character, intellect, world out-looking, aesthetics and philosophy. For Azerbaijani people, this kind of art is carpet making the origin of which goes back the very ancient times. Figuratively, any place where an Azerbaijani spread his carpet became his home. He used it to cover and decorate his home inside and outside. Carpets served him as furniture. He hung them on walls and spread on the floor. He used it as a bag on his road. He made of them both clothing and horsecloth. He protected his horse with the carpet when it was cold and hot. As a matter of fact, Azerbaijani was born and buried on the carpet. At the same time, colourfully patterned carpets were intended to feast his eyes. According to archaeological findings, as early about 2000 B.C. the population of Azerbaijan could make various household items from carpet fabric distinguished with their high technological and artistic dignity. In the 5 century B.C, Xenophont described customs of using carpets in everyday life by Azerbaijani people. Herodot ___________________________________________________________________________________ ICME papers 2005 1 http://icme.icom.museum mentioned the ability of Azerbaijanis to make a wide range of colours from plant dyes. From the 6th century A.D, many historic and literary works give us wide and valuable information about the medieval Azerbaijani carpet. Such writers as the Albanian historican of the 7 century Moses Kagankatvatsi, the Arabian historicans of the 9th – 10th centuries Masudi, Cabari, Al-Mukaddasi, Ibn-Khaukal, Al-Istahri praised the great variety, quality, special beauty of the Azerbaijani carpet. The great popularity of the Azerbaijani carpet in the world is demonstrated with their descriptions in Oriental miniatures of the 14th-15th centuries and canvas of the western painters of the Renaissance. The world, mood and content of these carpets are deeply lyrical. They reflect the firsthand sense of life experienced and depicted in patterns. The delicated spirit of the people, their customs, beliefs and faiths are embodied in these carpets. During centuries, the carpet was his real necessity of his artistic and spiritual world. For ages, the world has been reflected on carpets with colourful and unique ornaments, direct and hidden patterns, revealing themselves only to the initiated person. Today, this initiation leads us to the world of abstract carpet contexts everlasting in time and unlimited in the people’s wisdom. These compositions were intended to convey the conception of Universe. The purpose was to concentrate cosmic powers and magic protection. The composition had to convey a complete image in which relations between both different parts of a field ornament and relations between the field and the border were intended to reveal the whole symbolism. As a result, the conception of Universal Unity was reflected in the traditional carpet and was expressed in its design as a whole. Thus, the carpet is the representation of Universe in a miniature. ___________________________________________________________________________________ ICME papers 2005 2 http://icme.icom.museum According to beliefs of Azerbaijanis, one can keep in touch with the Heaven being in harmony with Universe. In this case, one gets favourable altitude. These images laid the foundation of many beliefs of Azerbaijani people and were connected with sacral, esoteric and magic aspects of rituals in which carpets played the important role. Carpets with sacral patterns were woven for different events, such as weddings, birthdays, and funerals. The field patterns with religious-magic meaning and the border motives with protective powers were conceived for a single purpose. The purpose was to have numerous posterity, fortune, welfare, peace in the family, protection against evil powers, which existed in the surrounding world. The aim was realized by magic practice. Most prominently are sacral motives in Azerbaijani pileless carpets, particularly the shadda weaving. Pileless shadda carpet coverings was woven in many variations under different folk names. Such as “Shal-shadda”, “Shadda-Kilim” or “Kerdeklik kirmizi kilim”, “Shadda-Djedjim”, “Chille shaddasi”, “Shaddali chadir” or “Bey chadiri”, “Nemer perdesi”, “Shadvard”, “Baladja palas”, “Dama-dama shadda”, “Develi shadda”. They were woven of woollen, cotton or silk yarn. The main types of shadda were plain, chequered or pictorial. Their principal characteristic was the pure abstraction represented with coloured sections. Basic colours of the carpet were both red and blue. This bright scheme was intended to make people happy. The word of “shadda” is believed to derive from “shad” which means “joyful”, “merry”. Carpets “Shadda” have deep symbolic and mainly metaphysic meanings. In their patterns they reflected the conception of reuniting and reviving the initial essence of life. This leading idea probably shaped the initial form of the carpet. At first, the carpet was woven in narrow coloured parts dominating in red and then it was ___________________________________________________________________________________ ICME papers 2005 3 http://icme.icom.museum sewed together. The most interesting is that the carpets also demonstrate motives relating to celestial bodies, cosmic phenomena with an appeal to Heaven as if they came from Universe and then back. Before speaking of the symbolism and ritual purpose of shadda, I would like to inform you about its types. ª Shadda-kilimº or ª Gardaklik gyrmyzy kilimº was a red patterned carpet-curtain used in a red field at wedding ceremonies, traditions of which went back the very ancient times. The carpet curtain separated the room place prepared for newly-weds. The carpet was woven at the bride's home and was an item of her dowry. In Azerbaijani popular epos ªDada Gorgudº of the 11th century, the carpet was described as an item used at wedding ceremonies. ª Shal-shaddaº was a plain carpet fabric woven of sheep, camel, and sometimes goat's fine wool. It was dyed mainly in red, but could be also white, black, green, and blue. ª Shadda-jejimº was a striped weaving consisted of two or more parts. It was patterned in plant, animal, and geometric motives. The jejim played a special role at Novruz Bayram, the popular Azerbaijani Holiday of the Spring. This festivity was reflected in patterns and colours of the carpet: the sunlight represented symbolically in reys - stripes in the red background. ª Dama-dama shaddaº means a chequered shadda. Pattern of the carpet consisted of squares. ª Dama-dama shaddaº dominated in red was ___________________________________________________________________________________ ICME papers 2005 4 http://icme.icom.museum intended to make a tent for a bridegroom. The black and white on was hung above the bed of Sufis. ª Chilla shaddaº. ª Chilla shaddaº was patterned in red and blue squares dominated in red. The meaning ª Chillaº was connected with suffering, misfortunes, difficulties and hardship. These carpets were especially woven to prevent terrible events. They were believed to prevent the surrounding world from evil powers. This ritual of weaving was called ª chilla-kasmaº, that meant the final getting rid of the burden. Chilla shadda was especially popular with girls and young women. On the eve of Novruz, they came round and spread the red carpet on the floor, after that they sat on it, told their fortunes. Afterwards, the carpet was left in the open air for a week in order that, the carpet could get the special energy and power from the sky, the moon and stars and they were believed to fulfil their wishes. ª Develi shaddaº demonstrated motives of camel caravans. The composition consisted mainly of three bands. The dominating band was red and flanked with the black and blue bands. Sometimes the shadda was woven in the plain field. Initially, camel caravans were represented in the border, and main patterns of the field were motives of celestial bodies. I would like to point out that the above mentioned types of shadda are only a small part of variety of the carpet. They are the most popular examples of the carpet which can help me to highlight the issue of my paper. The types of shadda I have mentioned are characterized with the red field which was invariably kept during many centuries. The red as the basic colour of the field was believed to relate to the world of spirits and it was the source of the God's protection. But this fact was not accident. ___________________________________________________________________________________ ICME papers 2005 5 http://icme.icom.museum Magic of red is as much powerful as logical, predetermined, proved, essential and even tangible. Among different peoples red played a special role and was connected with protective magic. But Azerbaijanis regarded it to be not only sacral. They also believed that is absorbed the whole philosophy of life. It was like a law that enabled and promoted the existence of life. Red was philosophy of magic. It didn't convey fear of the mysterious powers but joyful admiration and great belief in them. The colour comes from the heavens, cosmos; its reys are viving, pure and free of evil powers. In Azerbaijani shadda carpets, red are, so to speak, especially realistic, it became main relationship of this colour with esotericism. It guides the human behaviour in different situations, and prompts ways to escape misfortunes. Red was not only a symbol. It was used in traditional medicine as an especial energetic power. Red clothes and Shal-shadda were worn in illness.